Dec. 8, 2009

Box Score

CLARION - Lizzie Suwala tied a season high with 19 points while setting a career high with 15 rebounds, but more importantly the senior guard scored six key points during a game-ending 8-0 run that helped Clarion's women's basketball team get a 61-47 win over visiting West Virginia Wesleyan Tuesday night at Tippin Gym.

The Golden Eagles (3-2), who led by 14 at halftime and by 11, 53-42, with just under five minutes to play had watched West Virginia Wesleyan (3-2) cut the deficit to six points with 3:47 left.

But Suwala, who recorded her second double-double of the season and the fifth of her three-year Clarion career, answered with back-to-back layups in a 38-second span to get the lead back to double digits and then closed out the scoring with a pair of free throws with just over a minute to play.

Sara Pratt added a season-high 12 points while tying her season-high with seven rebounds thanks to a strong second half that saw her score nine points and grab four rebounds for the Golden Eagles. Janelle Zabresky added 12 points and four boards off the bench for Clarion helping Clarion snap a two-game losing streak.

Danae Hill paced West Virginia Wesleyan with 11 points, while Angela Tassari added 10 points.

Strong defense by Clarion and poor shooting by West Virginia helped the Golden Eagles limit the Lady Bobcats to 17 first-half points, including only nine over the first 15:49 of the contest, helping Clarion build a 31-17 halftime advantage. It was the fewest points allowed by the Golden Eagles in the first half since Nov. 16, 2008, when Clarion led Alderson-Broaddus 29-17 at halftime.

But West Virginia Wesleyan came out hot in the second half and cut Clarion's lead in half, 36-29, four minutes into the half.

The Golden Eagle lead then remained between seven and 14 points over the next eight minutes before West Virginia Wesleyan got back within six, 47-41, on a Tassari jumper with 8:06 to play.

A 3-pointer by a Teresa Tokodi with 3:47 left then brought the Clarion lead back to six again before Suwala stepped up and stemmed the tide.

Courtney Healy added seven points, five blocked shots, four rebounds and four assists, tying her career high for assists while moving into 13th place in school history with 35 career blocks. Bethany Koch chipped in with six points and five rebounds.

Clarion returns to action Friday when it travels to West Chester for a 5:30 p.m. game that can be heard on WCUC, 91.7 FM in Clarion and on the internet at www.redzonemedia.com.

NOTES - Suwala's previous career-high for rebounds was 14 vs. Bowie St. Nov. 15, 2008. She also scored 19 points Nov. 16 of this season vs. Bowie St. Her career high for points is 24 set vs. Alderson-Broaddus Nov. 16, 2008 ... The 47 points were the fewest allowed by Clarion since Feb. 15, 2007, when the Golden Eagles beat Lock Haven 57-46 at Tippin Gym.